Many different designs of teats for feeding bottles are known. Such teats generally attempt to mimic the shape and feel of the nipple and areola of a mother's breast. During feeding a baby generally receives a nipple in their mouth and pinches the aerola with their gums. This pinching motion is known as ‘latching on’, and it is an important aspect to acceptance of the nipple and aerola by a baby.
A conventional teat for a baby bottle has a mouthpiece defined by a circle symmetric outer wall formed from a resilient material, such as a suitable rubber or latex material, comprising a nipple portion and an aerola portion. The outer wall of such a teat generally has a high stiffness to enable the teat to maintain its overall shape and to prevent the teat from tearing.
However, a problem with conventional teats is that babies may find it difficult to latch on to the aerola portion of the teat, because their gums cannot pinch the teat easily.